


With you there's no in between, I'm all in

by Mooresomore



Category: Hockey RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Coming Out, Friends to Lovers, M/M, ice cream fixes problems, john tavares holding puppies
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-03
Updated: 2018-04-03
Packaged: 2019-04-17 19:24:46
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,609
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14196030
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mooresomore/pseuds/Mooresomore
Summary: Mat stared at the computer screen. Why was this assignment giving him so much trouble? He sighed, slumping back in his chair.“Mat,” his roommate Tito (real name Anthony) softly said. “Take a break for a minute and come back to it.”“I’ve tried that three times,” Mat grumbled. “I can have an argument no problem. But when I have to write it down, poof! Roadblock.”“Can I help?”“Not sure how an art major can help a sports management major, but give it your best shot,” Mat said, handing over the rubric.





	With you there's no in between, I'm all in

**Author's Note:**

> If you know/are anyone in this fic, turn back now. Please. Completely made up!!
> 
> Disclaimer: This is complete and total FICTION. That means it never happened and is completely untrue. In fact, this is so far from the truth that it isn’t even in the same country as the truth. I don’t own anybody, and I make no money off of this. I am not in any way implying said characters’ sexual identities. All knowledge of these people are from public information. All thoughts are my own.
> 
> Beta’d by the amazing LottieAnna. Thank you!! :)
> 
> This was a little “distraction” piece I wrote when I didn’t want to work on my nursing school writing.
> 
> (and yes, the title is from "U Smile" by Justin Bieber...)

Mat stared at the computer screen. Why was this assignment giving him so much trouble? He sighed, slumping back in his chair.

 

“Mat,” his roommate Tito (real name Anthony) softly said. “Take a break for a minute and come back to it.”

 

“I’ve tried that three times,” Mat grumbled. “I can have an argument no problem. But when I have to write it down, poof! Roadblock.”

 

“Can I help?”

 

“Not sure how an art major can help a sports management major, but give it your best shot,” Mat said, handing over the rubric.

 

Tito pushed his glasses up on his nose and started to read. He hummed and said, “I got it.”

 

Mat stared at Tito. “And?”

 

“It says to write an argumentative essay. There is no subject listed- you can choose whatever you want. Why don’t you pick a sports topic?”

 

“Like?”

 

“Goalie interference,” Tito chuckled.

 

“What even is that?” Mat laughed. That had been their joke for as long as Mat could remember. “Thanks Tito. I needed that.”

 

“You bet. You can always use me as a sounding board. Heaven knows I’ve used you many times for inspiration.”

 

“True,” Mat said. “I have an idea. Can I record us having an ‘argument’ and then turn it into my paper?”

 

“If that’s what will help you, sure,” Tito said. “I don’t have class for the rest of the day.”

 

“I have Econ 101 at 3 PM, but other than that, I’m good,” Mat closed out of the word doc and pulled up his video chat account. “Let’s do this?” he asked.

 

“Sure.”

 

“So, what’s the topic?” Tito asked as Mat clicked a few buttons.

 

“If coach’s challenges should be allowed in the NHL.”

 

“Alright. Am I for or against them?”

 

“Against,” Mat said.

 

“Got it,” Tito said, “Ready?”

 

“Yep,” Mat said. “Let’s do this.” Mat paused and then clicked record.

 

“Coaches should be allowed to challenge more than offsides in the NHL.”

 

“Why do you say that?” Tito asked.

 

Mat thought for a minute, then spoke. “They can challenge if the goal crossed the line or not, and they could also contest if an opposing player…” Mat paused, frustrated. “Dammit, this seemed so much better in my head.”

 

“Try again,” Tito gently encouraged. “It’s just me Mat. No one else. Just have an argument with me.”

 

“Ok,” Mat tried again, “Coaches should be able to challenge that the puck crossed the goal line.”

“Why?” Tito asked. “Isn’t that the ref’s job?”

 

“Yes,” Mat said. “But what about those calls where it’s a slam-bang play? Or a player is standing in front of the goal?”

 

“Again, doesn’t the ref initiate that?” Tito said. “Aren’t all goals reviewed?”

 

“Not all, that I know of anyway. But, if a coach feels strongly about disagreeing with the call, he should have a right to have it reviewed.”

 

“Won’t that slow down the pace of the game? How do you keep it from a coach challenging every single goal?”

 

Mat paused. “Take away their timeout if they’re wrong. And set a limit on the number of goals that can be challenged.”

 

“Good points,” Tito said, “But, how do you decide if there is an “official” review, or a “coach’s” review on a goal?”

 

“Keep the officials as the primary reviewers. If they don’t start a review, then the coach could ask for one.”

 

“I still think this giong to cause a change in the pace of the game.”

 

“Why do you say that?” Mat asked, genuinely curious.

 

“It will take time to review all the angles. How do you determine if there’s sufficient evidence to overturn the call? Who’s to say the coach won’t do it just to stop the other team’s momentum?”

 

“It could be used like that,” Mat agreed; Tito had a point there. “But if they’re wrong, they couldn’t challenge any more calls. If there isn’t proof, then the call on the ice stands. Yes, it will take time, but accuracy is more important, right?”

 

“One other question. Can a player ask for the goal to be reviewed?”

 

“No. Only coaches,” Mat answered.

 

“Can a player ask a coach to ask for a review?”

 

“If he is right by the net when it happens, yes. If he’s farther than the goal crease or not on the ice, no.”

 

“I think you’re opening a big can of worms,” Tito said.

 

“Potentially. But I think it’s one that needs to be opened.”

 

“What is one thing that you would say to convince doubters that you are right?”

 

“Ensuring that fairness is used, reviewing and challenging goals should be allowed. It makes sure that _both_ teams have a chance to argue their case. In the long run, it would lead to better review procedures,” Mat finished.

 

“Good job,” Tito said. “There you have it. Time to write that paper.”

 

“Thanks Tito. You’re the best. I owe you dinner tonight, after my class?”

 

“Ok. Sounds good. Get to work. You can knock out a huge chunk before you have to go to Econ.”

 

Tito chuckled as he watched Mat’s hands fly over the keyboard; give the boy the right guidance and he could unleash his inner genius. Just getting Mat to realize how smart he was without someone else’s nudging was hard.

 

Mat had everything but the intro written when he had to leave for his next class; Tito volunteered to read over what Mat had so far.

 

“Thanks. I owe you again dude.”

 

“Dinner tonight, and let me use you for my portrait painting next week, and we’re good.”

 

“Deal. See you around 5.”

 

“Later.”

 

(Tito read the paper, and added a tiny intro; Mat could tinker with that if he wanted to).

 

*~*

 

“How was econ?” Tito asked when Mat came trudging back into the apartment. When Mat just shrugged and mumbled, Tito said, “That good, huh?”

 

“Shush,” Mat said, but he was smiling now, which was what Tito was aiming for. “Let me shower and we’ll go to dinner.”

 

“Perfect.”

 

“Hey Mat and Tito. The usual?” Billie, the waitress, asked. The fact they’d been here so many times that they had a “usual” should have been concerning to Mat, but they were college students after all.

 

“Sounds good,” they answered.

 

“Portrait painting, eh?” Mat asked while they waited for their food. “What’s Professor Tavares doing to you guys this time?”

 

“He wants us to ‘explore the human specimen’ in a neutral setting,” Tito said, laughing.

 

“Oh my gosh,” Mat said, laughing as well, “I should have been an art major with you.”

 

“We got to play with, photograph, and draw puppies last week. His teacher’s assistant brought them in.”

 

“Josh Bailey? The toughest dude on campus brought fluffy puppies into Professor Tavares’s classroom? That was something I’m sorry I missed.”

 

“Professor looked good holding them,” Tito said. When Mat made exaggerated gagging noises, Tito added, “Moment of weakness. I know.”

 

Their food arrived, momentarily getting them out of the awkward silence that had overtaken them.

 

“You wanna watch a movie when we get home?” Tito asked.

 

“After I submit my paper, sure. I have that 10 AM speech class, and you have 9 AM photography, but as long as we go to sleep at a decent hour, we should be good.”

 

“Yeah,” Tito said. _Wait, he remembers my schedule?_

 

“I could use the distraction,” Mat added.

 

“Me too. Not sure I’m ready for finals in a couple of weeks.”

 

“I know I’m not.”

 

Mat quickly read over his paper and hit submit; the deadline was in a couple of hours. “Thanks for your help- and the intro,” he said, bringing over the bowl of popcorn and sitting on the opposite end of the couch from Tito.

 

“You’re welcome. Action movie?”

 

“Sounds good.”

 

Mat fell asleep midway through “Thor”; he toppled over, and his head ended up in Tito’s lap. Tito knew if he moved, it would wake up Mat, but if he didn’t move and Mat woke up, it would be awkward too. Tito shut off the movie and stood up. “Barzy, bedtime.”

 

“Ugh,” Mat said, opening his eyes, “How long was I out for?”

 

“Like 5 minutes. You didn’t even make it to your favorite part,” Tito teased, purposely ignoring the elephant in the room.

 

“Oh,” Mat said, sitting up. “Yeah, my bed is probably better than the couch anyway. Night Tito.”

 

“Night Mat.” Tito knew they should probably address what had just happened, but he was too tired right now. There was always tomorrow anyway, right?”

 

*~*

 

In the morning, Tito woke up to a warm house and the smell of coffee, which meant Mat must have been up. Tito padded downstairs, where he found a note.

 

_Hey Tito,_

 

_Went in early to work on my speech homework- didn’t want to wake you up. There’s coffee made- shut the pot off before you leave please. See you tonight around 6- I was thinking we could maybe go catch the game on campus. Text me if you need something. Have a good day!_

 

_Mat_

 

Tito looked at the clock. He still had 30 minutes to make it to campus. He grabbed a thing of PopTarts and poured a big mug of coffee, making sure to shut off the pot and set it back up. He got in his car and sent Mat a text. _Thanx for coffee. Pot off and set up. See ya tonight._

 

Photography was fun; Professor Tavares and Bailey brought more puppies, and Professor answered questions about their next portrait project. Tito took notes and started thinking about how to work things out between his and Mat’s schedules.

 

Tito was chatting with Jordan Eberle, the shy kid with the gap teeth who always sat in the back of the class when the text from Mat came through.

 

_Are you home?_

 

_No, just getting ready to head that way. What’s up?_

 

_Can you go to the store and get some Chunky Monkey ice cream? Still stuck in class for another hour._

 

 _Ok. Everything ok?_ Tito knew it wasn’t; this was Mat’s “comfort” ice cream for when shit hit the fan.

 

_We’ll talk when I get home._

 

_Alright. See you then._

 

_Thanks. You’re the best._

 

Tito bought two pints, just in case. He also picked up some Swedish Fish (there weren’t any Swedish Berries to be found in this part of the area). He went home and waited for Mat.

 

Mat looked like hell when he walked through the door; Tito didn’t even ask before opening the pint of ice cream and handing Mat a spoon.

 

“Thanks,” Mat said, even sounding defeated, and well, shit, this wasn’t good.

 

“Sure. I’m here when you’re ready to talk,” Tito said, leaving Mat an out.

 

“Give me 10?” Mat asked.

 

“Of course.” Tito went in to the living room and waited for Mat to come in.

 

“Can we talk?” Mat asked when he walked in a few minutes later.

 

“Of course Mat,” Tito said, “What’s going on?”

 

“I had a bad day. Obviously, by the ice cream,” Mat tried to joke, but it fell flat.

 

“I noticed. What happened?”

 

“I pretty much bombed my speech; the teacher ‘made an example’ of me to the class, and then Professor Ladd wanted to talk to me about my essay for my writing class- he thought I’d had someone else do it, because none of my other papers had been that good before. I had to go prove that it was my own work- thank gosh we filmed that video. But then I got in trouble because I didn’t properly cite you or some stupid shit like that, so now i have to redo the paper- and you can’t help,” Mat said. “Then I almost fell coming out of his office; I tripped and ran into Cindy, that girl I hooked up with like 6 months ago. I spilled her coffee all over her and she bitched me out for ‘ghosting’ her. I thought fast and told her it was cause I’m into dudes.”

 

“Um, are you?” Tito asked.

 

“My whole shitshow of a day, and that’s all you pick up on?” Mat chuckled bitterly. “Yes, _Anthony_ , for your information, I am into guys. Sorry if that’s an inconvenience or something.”

 

“No, no Mat. It’s just… I’m bi?” Tito said. “Like, I like both girls and guys.”

 

“Oh.” Mat said.

 

“And I’m sorry about your day. It sounds like it was rough. Why don’t you go take a hot shower, and I’ll order takeout?”

 

“And this is why you’re the best roommate ever,” Mat grinned. “Thank you. I owe you.”

 

“Later,” Tito said. He wanted to revisit the whole gay/bi conversation they’d just had, but that would have to wait until Mat was ready to talk about it.

 

As soon as Tito heard the shower start up, he called their favorite Chinese takeout place, and he also made a small list of ideas for Mat’s next paper (that _technically_ wasn’t helping; he was just giving ideas- it was up to Mat to use- or not use- them).

 

Tito was just putting the takeout onto plates when Mat came back down. He looked much better now. Tito couldn’t help the small smile that escaped. “Better?”

 

“Yeah,” Mat smiled, “Thanks. You’re the best.” They sat down at the table. “What do I owe you for my part of the food?”

 

“Nothing,” Tito said.

 

“But…” Mat protested.

 

“No. You owe me nothing,” Tito cut Mat off.

 

“Fine. I buy next time then,” Mat said.

 

“Deal,” Tito conceded.

 

“You do know Ladd said that you can’t help, right?” Mat chuckled when he saw the list of ideas Tito had made.

 

“I know. I didn’t though. I merely wrote down some things I know you could write and have an argument about. If you choose one of those, it’s still all your ideas on the paper. I just helped plant an idea for you. That’s not cheating.”

 

“It’s bending the rules,” Mat said, but that grin was back, so Tito knew Mat was going to give in. “But, thank you. You’ve helped make the day better.”

 

“But wait, there’s more!” Tito giggled.

 

“Oh no,” Mat chuckled.

 

“Go sit down on the couch,” Tito said. While Mat did that, Tito hit a few buttons on the TV and pulled up the Justin Bieber concert/movie thing he and Mat had watched a few times.

 

“Justin Bieber?” Mat asked. “It wasn’t that bad!” he tried to protest, but Tito just shushed Mat.

 

Mat was just about to shut off the TV- he didn’t need to be cheered up by Bieber- when Tito stood up and started making the same motions and lip synching.

 

The laughter came out before Mat could stop it; Mat quickly grabbed his phone and filmed Tito. He had to save this moment forever. That’s what he needed- Tito making him laugh.

 

Tito turned back to Mat, a smile on his face as well. “There’s that smile,” he said, coming to sit down by Mat. “That’s what I wanted to see- a real smile. Not the fake one you’ve gotten so good at. I want the 100% real Mathew Barzal grin,” he chuckled. “Don’t think I didn’t noticed you filming me though,” he added, chuckling as Mat’s cheeks flushed.

 

“Sorry. It was just so funny, and I wanted to save it, in case…” Mat trailed off.

 

“All you gotta do is ask, and I’ll cheer you up anytime,” Tito said, seeming to read Mat’s mind.

 

“Really?”

 

“Yes, baby, baby, baby…” Tito started again, laughing as Mat whacked at him. “Hey!”

 

“Thank you,” Mat said, “For all of this tonight.”

 

“Any time Mat,” Tito said, feeling like they were both pointedly ignoring what they really wanted to talk about. “Hey, you said something about there being a game tonight. You still wanna go?”

 

“Sure. If you want to,” Mat said.

 

“I do. I’m always down for some sports.”

 

“Me too,” Mat agreed, “And I wanna put off doing my paper for a bit.”

 

“Ok. Deal. You have to work on it tomorrow,” Tito said. “You can take breaks, and I can work on my portrait of you.”

 

“Sounds good. Let’s go.” Mat said. They made their way to the gym, where it was only natural for Mat to lean his arm over the back of Tito’s seat. Tito tried to not read into it too much, but now that Mat had come out to him, Tito wondered if there was a chance that Mat wanted to be more than friends.

 

The game in itself wasn’t too spectacular (but then again, it was college basketball), so Tito decided talking to Mat was a better idea.

 

“Oh my gosh, no way!” Tito said when Mat told him the story of the time he and Dylan Strome had almost ended up in jail in Toronto.

 

“Yes way.” Mat said.

 

“You play hockey?” Tito asked; they had watched a lot of hockey games, but Mat had never mentioned that he had ever played before.

 

“Used to,” Mat said, “Got hurt during World Juniors; Coaches said if I got hurt again, I could end up in a wheelchair. So, I gave it up.”

 

“Sorry,” Tito said. The mood had suddenly changed between them, and Mat was sad again. “I didn’t…”

 

“I never said anything,” Mat said, “I tried to push away that part of my life and be ‘normal’ for once.”

 

“I’m sorry,” Tito said again. He was actually thankful the game was over, so they could go home. “Come on, let’s go get a piece of apple pie. I bet Billie’s wondering where we are.”

 

“Yeah,” Mat half smiled. “Ok.”

 

After the pie, they headed home. Mat was just about to head to his room when Tito said, “You know you can tell me anything, right?”

 

“Yeah. Thanks Tito. See you in the morning?”

 

“Sure thing. Night Mat.”

 

“Night Tito.”

 

*~*

 

Mat was woken up the next morning by the smell of food wafting out of the kitchen. _What is Tito up to this time?_ Mat thought; the last time Tito had tried to cook was when he was in nutrition class, and that had resulted in a visit from the fire department. Nothing smelled burnt though, so Tito must have went and got something or microwaved it.

 

Mat padded downstairs, hand rubbing at his face. “Mornin,” he said, headed for the coffee pot.

 

“Good morning sunshine!” Tito laughed. “Breakfast is ready.”

 

“So I see,” Mat said, drinking his coffee, “And what brought this on?”

 

“Wanted to be a good roommate.”

 

“What a chef,” Mat laughed, snapping a video as they sat down.

 

“I tried,” Tito chuckled.

 

“The thought was nice. Thank you.”

 

“Any time.”

 

“Oh, about your portrait painting,” Mat said, “I never asked- does it have to be formal? Or can I wear sweats?”

 

“Professor didn’t really say. I’d say sweats are fine,” Tito grinned. “I’ll let you wake up a bit more first, and fix that monstrosity on your head.”

 

“Hey!” Mat laughed. “Fuck you,” he flipped Tito off.

 

“Name the time and place,” Tito fired back, teasing. As he watched Mat’s face, he added, “Uh…”

 

“Talk later? You need to paint, and I need to write my paper. We can discuss it when we’re done?” There was something in Mat’s voice that Tito couldn’t quite place.

 

“Sure,” Tito said, “Go shower.”

 

“Yes sir.”

 

While Mat was in the shower, Tito carried on a monologue with himself; how could he have been so stupid to blurt out something when he wasn’t sure how Mat would react?

 

“Where do you want me?” Mat’s voice brought Tito back to the living room.

 

“Uh, couch is fine,” Tito said. He grabbed his sketchbook and pencils and started to work.

 

“Are you done yet?” Mat teased after 30 minutes; Tito just laughed and said, “Nope. Got to make sure I get all those angles just right to capture the perfection you are.”

 

“Aww,” Mat said. “So sweet.”

 

“Shush. Or I’ll make you go work on your paper.”

 

“Shushing now,” Mat grumbled.

 

“You’re still gonna have to do the paper.”

 

“I know.”

 

“You can talk to me about it,” Tito said, putting the finishing touches on the sketch, “Just don’t use anything I say.” He paused. “And, done!”

 

“Let me see!” Mat said, making grabby hands. Tito laughed and handed over the sketchbook. “Wow, this is really good.”

 

“Aw, it’s nothing,” Tito said.

 

“No, really. Tito, this is awesome. You are so talented.”

 

“Thanks,” Tito said. There was a moment’s pause, and then Tito added, “Don’t you have a paper you should be working on?”

 

“Ugh. Fine.” Mat got up. When he came down with his book and laptop, Tito said, “You get started on it. I’m gonna go shower, but then you can ask me if you have any questions.”

 

Mat was nearly done with the paper when Tito came back downstairs (sue Tito for having to take care of his dick after all of his and Mat’s playful banter- it was really the compliments that did it though). “Took you long enough,” Mat jabbed, “I’m almost done.”

 

“Good. See, you didn’t need me to help after all,” Tito said, putting up the dishes.

 

“And, submitted,” Mat said. “We’ll see what Ladd thinks of that one.”

 

“What did you write about?”

 

“Whether hiding your feeling hurts you or helps you.”

 

“What side did you go for?”

 

“I went with the opinion that it does.”

 

“Ok. What were your key points?”

 

“Lying- even to yourself- is wrong; it makes you feel bad about yourself, and you can hurt others.”

 

“Good points. Can I read it later?”

 

“Sure,” Mat paused, “But can we talk first? I need to tell you some stuff.”

 

“Ok. Sure.”

 

“So, the other day, when I came out to you, you acted like it wasn’t a big deal.”

 

“It’s not Barzy. You being gay isn’t going to change the fact that you’re my roommate and friend. Plus, like I said, I’m bi, so I know.”

 

“How many guys have you dated?”

 

“Um, two.”

 

“Ok. I’ve dated one. And in fact, you know him pretty well.”

 

“I do?”

 

“Yeah. You have photography with him.”

 

“Please tell me you did not date Professor Tavares,” Tito teased.

 

“God, no!” Mat laughed. “But, Ebs, yeah.”

 

“Eberle? You mean shy, gap-toothed Jordan Eberle?”

 

“Yep. He’s the one,” Mat said. “It was for a year or so. Then he kept with hockey a bit longer, and I got dumped when he met Taylor Hall.”

 

“Oh my gosh. Mat,” Tito said, trying to wrap his head around everything.

 

“It’s cool. We’re still friends,” Mat said, “But you can see why I don’t tell a lot of people. It seems as soon as I get close to them, they meet someone new and I’m old news. I tried dating girls, but it just didn’t feel right. And then we became roommates, and I thought, ‘This is going to be the asshole who ruins everything’. Turns out I was right.”

 

“What?” Tito asked, a little shocked.

 

“No, no,” Mat quickly continued, “I just meant that you were going to be the one to get close to me and never leave, even when I was doing a bang-up shitty job of being a friend and roommate. I wanted more but I knew I couldn’t ask you. I couldn’t have the one person who supported me through thick and thin bail on me when they found out I was gay.”

 

“Mat,” Tito said, reaching out for a hug. “I would have never. Even if I didn’t agree with the lifestyle, I wouldn’t have ever left or made you feel bad.”

 

“Thanks,” Mat sniffled into Tito’s chest.

 

“I wanted to tell you, but I was scared too,” Tito said. “We had never talked about things, and you never gave me any hints. I felt like I should wait for you to make the first move. Then Cindy happened, and I just figured you were in to girls. Then there was no one, and you weren’t making an effort to pick up, so I thought maybe you had sworn off relationships, or decided to become a monk or something.” Tito laughed.

 

“God, we are both total men about this, aren’t we?” Mat asked, pulling away and wiping at his eyes.

 

“Yep.”

 

“Well, I think I like you. As more than a roommate,” Mat said.

 

“I know I like you as more than a roommate,” Tito answered. “Can I lean in and kiss you?”

 

“Fuck yes. Please,” Mat said.

 

“Stop me at any time.” Tito said, before leaning in and pressing his lips to Mat’s hesitantly.

 

Mat pulled back. “Keep going,” he said when Tito looked at him. “Just needed to catch my breath. That was… wow, not what I imagined. Better.”

 

Tito grinned and leaned back in; they lazily made out for a few on the couch, until Mat pulled back again. “Is it weird to ask if we can take this to the bedroom?”

 

“Not at all,” Tito said, laughing as Mat yanked him up and marched him down the hall to Tito’s room. “Easy turbo.”

 

Mat just laughed and crowded Tito up against the wall by the bed. “You love it.”

 

Tito didn’t miss the way Mat’s eyes were blown wide and glazed over. It was really doing things for Tito. “I do,” he admitted.

 

Mat worked on getting Tito’s shirt over his head. “Stop me if we go too fast,” he said as he got his own shirt off and pushed them around so he was now on top of Tito on the bed.

 

“Ok,” Tito said, letting Mat take control of things.

 

“I mean it,” Mat said one more time as he leaned in to kiss Tito. “If you get the feeling it’s too much, just tell me.”

 

“I will,” Tito promised, lightly biting at Mat’s lower lip.

 

“Ok.” Mat said. He broke the kiss and then looked at Tito. “Sit up for a minute.”

 

TIto did as he was told, and laughed as Mat plopped down in his lap. The laughter quickly turned into a choked off gasp of air and a moan as Mat found his collarbone and nipped at it.

 

“Ok?” Mat asked.

 

“Yes,” Tito said, “Just, no marks.”

 

“Deal.” Mat went back to mouthing at the side of Tito’s neck, switching sides and spots every now and then to make sure he left no evidence.

 

Mat laughed a little when Tito’s hips snapped up for the first time. “Eager much?”

 

“Yeah,” Tito flushed a little.

 

“You’re just gonna have to wait,” Mat teased and then pushed Tito back so he landed on the bed. Mat raised himself off of Tito and looked up, eyes wide and glazed over. “Shit, you look good like that.”

 

“Come on,” Tito begged, “Mat, quit playing. Please.”

 

“Fine. Since you asked nicely,” Mat smirked. He had this whole plan to tease Tito and draw things out, but speeding things up and getting to the main event sounded like a good idea.

 

Mat slid down the bed, until he reached the waistband of Tito’s sweats. “You sure?”

 

“Yes, fuck Mat, come on,” Tito was all but pushing Mat to go where he wanted Mat to go.

 

“Oh, no, I run this,” Mat said, cocky attitude back in place. He grabbed Tito’s hands with one hand. “Those don’t move unless I say they do. Got it?”

 

“Yes,” Tito breathed out; Mat didn’t miss the way Tito’s dick jumped in response.

 

“Good.” Mat released Tito’s hands and then yanked Tito’s sweats down and off in a smooth motion. He got his own pants off (a little more difficult), and then kneeled down on the floor in front of the bed. “Sit up and slide forward.”

 

Tito did as he was told, and he stopped when Mat reached a hand out to touch his thigh. Tito was about to ask a question when Mat opened his mouth, and took Tito’s dick in; the question went out the window, and Tito instead tried to focus on not moving his hands, while also watching what Mat was doing.

 

It wasn’t too long before it became hard to focus on both things; Tito’s hand found its way into Mat’s hair, where it gave a slight tug.

 

Mat let out a groan of his own; the vibrations felt like they were traveling up Tito’s spine. “You can do that again,” Mat pulled off for a minute, “That, uh, felt good.”

 

“Same here,” Tito agreed. Mat resumed the pace he had set (it was a little sloppier than the other ones Tito had received in the past, but it felt so good). Tito lightly played with Mat’s hair, tugging at different time to get the angle changed or make Mat suck in a deeper breath.

 

“Fuck, Barz...Mat, gonna,” Tito warned, tugging on Mat’s hair a little too had to warn him; Mat pulled back and brought his hand to Tito’s dick, finishing him off.

 

“Shit,” Mat said, panting.

 

“Yeah. Let me,” Before Mat even had a chance to reply, Tito was grabbing Mat’s dick, smearing the precum that had collected on it around. He then managed to roll them over, and he rearranged them so he was face to face with Mat’s dick, which was clearly on board with the situation.

 

“Tito,” Mat choked out as Tito went to work, trying to copy what Mat had just done. Judging by the moans, curse words, and gasps of air Mat was doing, Tito figured he was on the right track.

 

“Tito,” Mat choked out. “Gonna...fuck!” Mat said; Tito had barely pulled off before Mat was coming, the cum hitting him on the chin and chest area. “Sorry.”

 

“It’s good,” Tito said, going to find them a washcloth to clean up with. “That was...wow, fuck. How had we waited that long to do that?”

 

“Don’t know,” Mat agreed. There was a difference in his voice, but Tito chalked it up to post sex daze. “Come on, get some rest.”

 

“Will you stay?” Tito asked.

 

“Sure, if you want me to.”

 

“I do. Come on, get in,” Tito said, holding up the covers and laughing as Mat curled up in a ball. “All the better to spoon you with my dear.”

 

“Fuck off,” Mat laughed.

 

Tito fell asleep listening to Mat’s soft, easy breathing. This was nice. He could get used to this.

 

*~*

 

Tito woke up later. Mat wasn’t in the bed, and judging by the cold sheets, he hadn’t been for quite some time. TIto pulled on his sweats and went to Mat’s room. “Barzy?”

 

No response, and Mat wasn’t there. Tito looked in the living room, and bathroom, but Mat wasn’t there either.

 

Tito made his way to the kitchen. There was still no sign of Mat, and there wasn’t any notes on the fridge either. This was getting weirder by the minute.

 

The next thing Tito thought to do was send a text to Mat. He had no more than hit the send button when there was a ding in Mat’s room. _Weird._ Tito trying calling Mat’s number, and sure enough, the phone was ringing in Mat’s room.

 

 _So he went somewhere and didn’t take his phone?_ This wasn’t like Mat. Tito was slightly concerned, but maybe Mat just went to the store or something real quick.

 

As the minutes (and then hours) dragged out, Tito started to worry more. He had to go to his nighttime psych class (dang general education requirements- psychology didn’t really apply in art), so he left Mat a plate of food and a note.

 

Class had run a little later tonight; the door was locked when Tito got home. The note and plate of food were gone though, but there was no sign of Mat (but now his phone was gone too, so Tito knew he’d been home).

 

 _Did I do something wrong?_ Tito sent a text.

 

 _No._ Came the quick reply.

 

_Then why aren’t you at home?_

 

_I need some space, ok?_

 

_Alright. I’m here whenever._

 

_Ok._

 

Tito couldn’t help but be a little confused by everything- had something happened after... _oh_. Suddenly things started to fall into place- Mat was having a freak out about sleeping with Tito.

 

 _I don’t regret any of it. I liked it._ Tito sent. He was still on “read” when he went to bed.

 

Tito didn’t sleep too well that night; he tossed and turned, mainly concerned about Mat and hoping that he was somewhere safe. Finally, he gave up on sleep and made his way down to the couch.

 

He must have finally fallen asleep, because the next thing he knew, there was an alarm blaring, and wait- was that Mat?

 

“Mat?” Tito asked.

 

“Tito, come on. We gotta get out of here.”

 

“What?”

 

“The building’s on fire. Come on man, let’s go!” Mat all but hauled Tito off the couch, grabbing their sweatshirts from the door hook on the way out.

 

Tito allowed himself to be pulled out to the area in front of the apartment; he took the sweatshirt Mat handed him, and they stood in silence, watching the firefighters put out the flames.

 

Fortunately, there wasn’t a lot of damage to their portion of the building, and they were cleared to go back in.

 

“You coming?” Tito asked Mat.

 

“No,” Mat said, “I’m staying with a friend tonight.”

 

“Ok,” Tito said, a little dejected. “Just know, you can come home anytime you want to.”

 

“Thanks,” Mat said. “Maybe tomorrow. Just need some space tonight.”

 

“Ok,” Tito walked into the apartment without looking back towards Mat again. He could do this.

 

*~*

 

Mat didn’t come home the next day, or even the day after that. Well, not “home” to stay at least- he’d been in and out while Tito was at class. Tito could tell, because the laundry was done and folded on the bed when he got home for lunch and there was a plate of food in the fridge with a stick note that said _Eat me!_ Tito did, and then took a quick shower. He made some dinner, then headed off to his lab class for photography. When he got home, there was a light on by the couch, and the food was gone, but there was still no sign of Mat.

 

 _Are you ok?_ Tito texted.

 

_Yeah, Just… I need space, ok?_

 

_Alright. Sure. We need to talk later, ok?_

 

_Yeah._

 

Tito wanted to ask where Mat was staying, but it really wasn’t any of his business.

 

Then came the Instagram story that changed everything. Apparently there was some party on campus, and Mat had gone (he was never one to turn a party down). This picture showed Mat and Jordan leaning in close to one another in the background, and that was the final straw for Tito. If Mat wanted to freak out, fine. But for him to go back to his (not single) ex was another story.

 

 _Seriously?!_ He texted Mat, who never answered. Tito wasn’t really expecting him to, but now he was going to take it one step further.

 

“Oh hey Tito,” Jordan said, sitting down by Tito the next day in art class.

 

“Hi.” Tito’s answer was short and clipped.

 

“Everything ok?”

 

This really wasn’t the time or place to do it, but Tito was tired of waiting. “No. Does your boyfriend know about last night?”

 

“What the hell?” Jordan was surprised.

 

“Does he know you’re hooking up with your ex?”

 

“What are you talking about Beauvillier?”

 

“This,” Tito said, showing Jordan the picture from last night (yes, he’d been petty and saved a screenshot).

 

“Wait, you think?”

 

“Jordan, er, Eberle,” Tito tried to be mad, “That’s Mat’s ‘I want to hook up’ face. I know it all too well,” he paused. Why was he getting so jealous over this? It wasn’t like him and Mat were exclusive. In fact, they weren’t _anything_ right now. “I mean…”

 

“We didn’t hook up,” Jordan said, “He came home with me, yeah, but we didn’t do anything, He crashed out in the guest room, and I called Taylor,” Jordan looked at Tito. “He likes you man. Really. You were all he talked about.”

 

“Really? Then why won’t he come home and talk to me?”

 

“He’s freaking out.”

 

“And I’m not?!”

 

“Tito, he’s never had a good track record with relationships. He’s scared. He doesn’t want this one to just be another statistic.”

 

“Well, maybe he should come talk to me about it,” Tito said. “I like him too, you know.”

 

“I do,” Jordan said. “I’ll try, but I make no promises.”

 

“Thanks Jordan. For taking care of him.”

 

“Of course.”

 

*~*

 

Tito was just getting ready to start on his psych paper when his phone dinged with a text. He looked immediately, hoping it was Mat; he was only slightly dismayed when it was Jordan, who had sent a _maybe tomorrow?_ And a picture of Mat passed out on the couch.

 

_Yeah._

 

Tito must have been working on his paper longer than he thought, because the next thing he knew, there were keys in the door and then Mat was standing there.

 

 _12:40 AM_ the clock on his computer read; Tito did a double take. Why was Mat here in the middle of the night when he should be sleeping? “Mat?”

 

“Hi,” Mat said softly.

 

“Hey.”

 

“So, I’m sorry,” Mat said.

 

“Me too,” Tito said. “Can we, uh, leave this conversation for tomorrow? I gotta be up in like 6 hours to go to class, and I haven’t slept yet.”

 

“Oh good,” Mat sighed in relief, “I really didn’t want to have this talk at 1 AM in the kitchen anyway.” he laughed. “Tomorrow after class a better time?”

 

“Much,” Tito agreed. “I’m glad you want to talk though. _I_ want to talk to you too.”

 

“Ok. Get some sleep Tito,” Mat said. “I’ll see you in the morning.”

 

“You too. Night Mat.”

 

“Night Tito.”

 

Tito went to bed and slept good for the first time since Mat had been gone. Things were going to work themselves out.

 

*~*

 

Tito groaned as his alarm went off. He wished he could skip this class and get some sleep, but this one class alone was worth like 45% of his grade.

 

He dragged himself out of bed and used the shower to wake himself up a bit. He used the Keurig and was out the door after leaving a quick note for Mat.

 

The class was even worse than Tito had thought it was going to be- he was glad he only needed one term of sociology to get his degree. As he listened to the teacher drone on (and say “ok?” at the end of every sentence), he pulled out his phone to see if Mat had texted. Nothing yet.

 

Tito somehow survived the lecture (and got an 85% on the test, which meant he got full points for today) and headed home. On the way, he bought some Chunky Monkey ice cream and a bag of Oreos.

 

Mat was still at his own class when Tito got home; Tito sat down on the couch and thought of all the things he wanted to say to Mat.

 

Finally, Mat came through the door, ice cream, and… Oreos?! Tito couldn’t help the laughter.

 

“What?” Mat asked.

 

“I bought the exact same stuff on _my_ way home.”

 

“Great minds think alike,” Mat grabbed a spoon, and came into the living room, handing Tito the Oreos. “Well, I guess we should talk.”

 

“Ok. Yeah.”

 

There was an awkward pause, until Mat finally spoke. “I’m sorry I left. After that night.”

 

“Why did you?”

 

“I was scared. Me and sex usually leads to bad decisions. People get hurt. I didn’t… I couldn’t do that to you.”

 

“Did you think to ask me how I felt?” Tito asked. “If you had questions, you should have stopped me. Not went along with it.”

 

“I know, ok?! It was a dick move,” Mat said, angrily, then calmed down. “It’s just… I freaked. Like, you’re perfect. And you said you liked me too. I wanted to believe it, but my brain overthought things. I did what I knew best- run away. I’m sorry.”

 

“Mat,” Tito’s voice was soft, “I meant it. I like you. But, that hurt me a lot. And then I see you out partying with Jordan, with that look on your face and- it felt like you’d ripped my heart out.”

 

“I’m sorry,” Mat said again. Then he chuckled as he ate a bite of ice cream. “Yeah. Jordan told me how you cornered him in class and lit into him.”

 

Tito flushed. “Um…”

 

“I think it was pretty cool- that kind of made up my mind that you weren’t joking. Like, I kind of did that to see how you’d react?”

 

“What?” The Oreo that Tito had just picked up fell into his lap.

 

“I kind of talked to Jordan and told him what was going on. He suggested I talk to you, and I told him I had a better idea.”

 

Tito just stared at Mat. “I don’t know whether to hate you and be mad, or be amazed at the plan you came up with.”

 

“I personally like the second option,” Mat chuckled.

 

“Me too. But that was a dick move too. Don’t do it again, ok?”

 

“Deal,” Mat paused. “Wait. Are you saying what I think you’re saying?”

 

“If you think that I’m saying I’m open to giving it another try, then yes,” Tito said. He laughed as Mat put down his ice cream and launched himself into Tito’s lap. “But, there are going to be rules this time.”

 

“Deal.”

 

“Rule number 1. We talk about things _before_ they become a problem.”

 

“Alright,” Mat agreed. “Rule two: we’re exclusive.”

 

“Done.”

 

“Rule 3,” Mat said, then paused. “You know what? I think two rules are good at this point. We can bring up other things later if we need to.”

 

“Sure,” Tito agreed. “So, I’m gonna go for it. Mat, do you want to date me?”

 

“Yes!” Mat said.

 

“Alright. So following rule number 1, tell me about your last relationship and why it didn’t last.”

 

“The short version? Because I’m an idiot who won’t talk about my feelings,” Mat admitted. “But, I’m gonna work on it. I promise.”

 

“Ok. That’s all I can ask,” Tito said. “Tell me what made you freak out the last time we had sex.”

 

“Well,” Mat said, “There was nothing wrong with the sex itself- in fact, it was probably the best I’d ever had,” (Mat didn’t miss the way Tito blushed) “but it was all the ‘feelings’ afterwards. I always screw things up, and I guess I was just thinking there was some way I was gonna do it again. And then you’d hate me and leave, or worse, you’d stay as my roommate and things would’ve been awkward.”

 

Tito’s face fell a little as Mat talked. How could Mat not see how special he was, and how much he meant to Tito? “Mat. I wouldn’t have. Like, ever,” he paused, “If I have to prove it every day, I’ll show you how much you mean to me.”

 

It was Mat’s turn to blush. He gave Tito a shy smile. “Ok. I might need some reminding,” he admitted.

 

“Consider it done.”

 

“How’d your psych paper go?” Mat asked. He was trying to make casual conversation and act like he didn’t want to jump Tito right then and there.

 

“I did well,” Tito said. “It was…” he paused. “You know what? Fuck it. We can talk later. I really want to kiss you right now.”

 

Mat laughed. “Good. Cause I wanna kiss you too,” He leaned in and pressed his lips to Tito’s.

 

Tito let Mat take the lead this time; it was all about making sure Mat was ok with the pace things were moving at. Mat seemed content to just lazily make out on the couch for a bit, and that was ok with Tito too.

 

Mat pulled back and looked at Tito. “Is this ok?”

 

Tito nodded. “Whatever you want Mat. It’s your show.”

 

“Ok,” Mat leaned in again. This time, he ran his tongue around the bottom of Tito’s lips; Tito’s mouth fell open on it’s own accord, and Mat used that to his advantage, sticking his tongue in.

 

It had been a while since Tito had made out with anyone (or been kissed like this); he forced himself to keep still, until Mat said, “You can kiss me back, you know?”

 

From there, it was a fight for dominance in the kiss (which Mat won, but Tito kind of let him win).

 

They didn’t go much further than that, but it was enough; they both relaxed a little bit.

 

“Hey, you wanna binge watch _Friends_ for a few hours?” Mat asked.

 

“Sure.”

 

Only Tito would manage to fall asleep during the opening credits to the third episode; Mat chuckled and shut the TV off. He didn’t move though. The next thing he knew, his head hit the back of the couch. He startled awake to Tito laughing. “Oh, shush.”

 

“Come on, we can go out for dinner.”

 

“Can we tell Billie?” Mat asked.

 

“Mat, I’m pretty sure she’s already figured it out,” Tito grinned, “But, yeah.”

 

“You’re the best boyfriend ever!” Matt said. (And, yes, Billie had indeed figured it out; they got extra whipped cream on their pie tonight though.)

 

They fell into bed, and Mat realized this is what he had been missing. Not the sex (although it was always a perk), but the companionship. He grinned as he gave Tito a goodnight kiss on the cheek.

 

Tito was gone in the morning when Mat woke up, but there was coffee and food waiting, so Mat couldn’t complain too much. He drove to campus and met up with Ladd, who (finally) gave his paper the “all clear”.

 

Mat was in the middle of his speech class when the text from Tito came through.

 

_Hey babe._

 

 _Hey._ Mat wrote back.

 

_I have the perfect idea for tonight._

 

_Which is??_

 

_Watching movies and cuddling under blankets. With popcorn. Makeout sessions too. And video games and pizza. Maybe a blanket fort._

 

 _Best boyfriend ever! <3 _Matt wrote.

 

 _< 3_ Tito sent back.

 

Class seemed to drag on, but finally Mat was out of there and back to his and Tito’s place, where Tito was waiting.

 

Mat chuckled. Tito had literally turned the living room into a massive blanket fort. And there was pizza and popcorn. “You really went all out.”

 

“Had to go all out for our first date,” Tito grinned.

 

“Ah, babe,” Mat teased, even as he flushed a little, “You don’t have to wine and dine me. You know that.”

 

“I know. I wanted to,” Tito said, giving Mat a quick kiss. “Come on, pizza. Then Mario Kart. Then popcorn, movies, and making out.”

 

“How could I argue with that?” Mat smiled.

 

They ate the pizza while playing a couple of rounds of Mario Kart; then Tito reached for the remote and queued up “Titanic”. They ate the popcorn, and Mat nestled himself into Tito’s side.

 

“Thank you,” Mat said.

 

“Any time Mat,” Tito said. He shifted so he could kiss Mat, and then it was on to the “making out” portion of the night.

 

The blanket fort collapsed around them when they shifted a little too rapidly in an attempt to reach more skin on one another. Tito burst into laughter. “Guess we should take it to the bedroom?”

 

“Yeah,” Mat laughed, “Come on.”

 

Once they made it in there, Mat wasted no time in getting what he wanted; he had Tito naked and grinding onto Mat’s thigh in record time.

 

“Can I?” Mat asked, looking down at Tito.

 

“God, yes, Mat,” Tito groaned, trying to find the right angle that would give him the friction he needed. The groan was choked off into a moan as Mat got his hand around Tito’s dick and started experimenting with the perfect way to jerk Tito off.

 

“Shit. Mat,” Tito said on one particular move; Mat kept going with it, and was rewarded a couple of moments later with a “fuck, gonna,” and then Tito was coming all over Mat’s hand.

 

“Wow,” Mat said, rolling off to the side.

 

“Yeah,” Tito panted. “Give me a minute, yeah? Then I can…”

 

“Sure,” Mat said. He was expecting Tito to jerk him off, so when Tito started sucking at his neck, Mat wasn’t questioning anything. Then Tito slid down, so his face was in line with Mat’s dick, and _oh._

 

“Are you sure?” Mat asked. Tito’s response was to take Mat into his mouth, so Mat went lax. “Fuck. Ok, yeah.”

 

Tito wasted no time in working Mat up to the edge (where had he even learned to do some of those things?); Mat tugged on Tito’s hair and managed to stutter out a “Fuck, Tito.”

 

Tito pulled back for a quick second. “Do it,”he said, then went back to sucking Mat’s dick; Mat came with a choked off gasp.

 

“Shit,” Mat said as Tito pulled off, wiping at his mouth, “That was...fuck.”

 

“Yeah,” Tito agreed.

 

After a couple of minutes, Mat said, “We should, uh, probably shower.”

 

“Yeah,” Tito said. “You wanna go first?”

 

“I was actually thinking we could do it together,” Mat said. “Nothing has to happen.”

 

“Oh, sure,” Tito said.

 

“Hey, showers can be non-sexual,” Mat laughed.

 

“I’ll believe that when I see it,” Tito teased, letting Mat pull him up. “Alright, I’m coming.”

 

Mat pointedly ignored Tito’s word choice and instead started fiddling with the shower to get the temperature just right. They hopped in, and Mat backed them under the spray, stealing a kiss. “Let me take care of you,” he said. Tito nodded.

 

Tito let Mat push him under further, and then Mat was grabbing the shampoos and massaging Tito’s head. Tito let his head loll forward (onto Mat’s shoulder).

 

“Feel good?” Mat asked.

 

“Yeah,” Tito let Mat wash it out; then Mat washed his own hair, and he grabbed them towels to dry off with.

 

“Come on, bed,” Mat said, leading them back to the bedroom. Tito went willingly, and they both slept the best they had in a long time.

 

In the morning, Tito was already gone when Mat woke up; Tito had left food and a note that ended with “ _Have fun! :)_ ”

 

 _Thanks. Have a good day._ Mat texted Tito.

 

_U 2._

 

*~* Epilogue *~*

 

“Mat, come on. We’re gonna be late. Your hair doesn’t matter,” Tito said, fussing with his own graduation cap. He also checked his pocket one more time to make sure the box was still there.

 

“Ugh, fine,” Mat finally came out.

 

“You look perfect. Come on,” Tito said, straightening out the tassel on Mat’s cap.

 

“You have to say that. You’re my boyfriend,” Mat teased.

 

“It’s true. Let go get those degrees, eh?”

 

“Fuck yeah.”

 

The ceremony was short and sweet, and afterwards, they met up with their families.

 

Tito waited until mat was caught up talking to his mom to pull out the box. He got down on one knee, smiling as Mat’s mom’s mouth dropped open. Mat whipped around, thinking something was wrong.

 

“So, I had this whole speech planned,” Tito said, “But, I’ve got a simple question. Mathew Barzal, will you marry me?”

 

“Yes!” Mat bolted for Tito, who managed to stand up and catch him, but they still ended up falling into the grass and laughing.

 

“You have to give me the speech later on though,” Mat made Tito promise.

 

“Deal,” Tito slid the ring onto Mat’s finger. “Here’s to forever.”

 

“Yep,” Mat grinned, stealing another kiss.

**Author's Note:**

> Bonus notes:
> 
> \- Tito eventually does give Mat the speech- he uses it as his vows. Both he and Mat are teary at the end.
> 
> \- Somehow, the school convinces Professor Tavares that there needs to be a "puppy" calendar. Weirdly enough, all the other "volunteers" quit, so it's 12 whole months of Tavares holding puppies. It's the school's biggest fundraiser to date.


End file.
